Kathy's Thanksgiving Turkey

Lightly salt and pepper all the turkey skin in the outside. This will make the skin crisp! Don't place stuffing in the turkey! Stuffing plays havoc with cooking times and is a recognized health hazard. Cook your stuffing separately in a casserole dish and be safe. Place the turkey in a covered roasting pan. Place in the oven preheated to 475 for 20 minutes. Our goal here is to "seal the bird!" to help keep it juicy. Redule the heat to 250. This again is not a typo! Don't let anyone tell you that the temperature has to be higher for it to get done. The reason that tukey is so often very dry is that it's overcooked. We want to slow cook the turkey. Cook the turkey at 250 for 20 additional minutes for each pound. No basting is necessary. Many variables come into play when cooking a turkey. The only way to be absolutely sure that your turkey is fully cooked is to use a thermometer. Interior breast meat should be 170 and 180 for thigh meat.